| A Chesapeake & Ohio freight passes underneath the nose of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern interlocking tower that once controlled the movements through this heavily used crossing by the NYC, Erie (later EL), CO, EJE and GTW. The tower was built by the EJ&E in 1924 and served as the main control until it was retired in 1999. It is a three-story, brick building measuring 25 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 30 feet tall. It has a concrete foundation and low pitched hipped roof. Slated for demolition, the Griffith Historical Society was able to save it by moving it across the GTW and EJ&E tracks just north of its original location. It now sits in the Griffith Historical Park in downtown Griffith. Northwest Indiana railroad fan John Strombeck caught this view while the grand tower still sat overlooking the mass of tracks and diamonds. |